


The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

by RoseAmaranth



Series: IronStrange Countdown to Christmas [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cute, Family, Fluff, IronStrange, M/M, Other Avengers Mentioned - Freeform, Pre-Relationship, frozen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21701848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseAmaranth/pseuds/RoseAmaranth
Summary: Morgan loves 'Frozen'! She loves the movies, her room is decorated in everything 'Frozen', and singing the songs is her favorite thing. So, imagine her delight when Stephen Strange, a newer friend of Tony's, is magic and can make snowmen with a simple spell!
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: IronStrange Countdown to Christmas [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1558807
Comments: 4
Kudos: 103





	The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

**Author's Note:**

> One of my favorite things to write is Morgan and Stephen. They are so sweet and cute.
> 
> **IronStrange Countdown to Christmas – Day 6: Do you wanna build a snowman?**

The minute snow started falling in New York – usually sometime in early November - Morgan would hurry over to her tablet and put on 'Frozen'. It was her favorite Disney movie apparently, and she just had to sing along to her favorite song from her favorite movie by her favorite princesses. Daily. She also insisted Tony braid her hair like Queen Elsa's, but Tony was about as good at braiding as he was at baking.

Which is to say, not at all.

Thankfully, Auntie Pepper and Auntie Nat were around and could fix up her hair just how she liked. Uncle Steve would help her with snow angels, and a snow war always broke out whenever Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky tagged along. Thor would help her with sledding while Tony made cups of cocoa and tea, smiling out the window at the yard filled with people enjoying the winter New York was famous for. It was always hilarious watching these Avengers – the world's guardians – falling over themselves to please princess Morgan.

Speaking of Guardians, this year the Guardians of the Galaxy were in town enjoying a winter on Earth. Peter Quill was tugged along all over the yard by Morgan when they popped in to visit him, and given a lesson in making snowmen and even forts- which they used to shower Drax in snowballs until he grew sick of it and dropped a massive ball of snow on Peter's head. No one ever had the heart to upset Morgan, however, and they all made sure to do whatever it is she wanted to do.

No one spoiled her more than Stephen, though.

Stephen Strange was a sorcerer, which meant magic, which just happened to be Morgan's favorite thing ever. She never said so out loud, but Tony knew her favorite time with the Avengers was when Stephen was visiting. Because he was magic, he was interesting, and he somehow understood children like no one else. They were drawn to him like moths to a flame, and it was the most adorable thing watching kids run up to him while they were walking through the village, asking him if they could see his magic cape or see inside his sick mansion. 

Tony was scrubbing a pan when Morgan darted from her seat at the kitchen table towards the other side of the kitchen. It didn't take a detective to know what got the little girl so excited. Hell, Tony was a little excited himself. Not that he was going to, like, say that. Or run over to Stephen like he was Santa on Christmas morning. He was a grown man with dignity, thank you. 

“Stephy!” Unlike the others, Morgan never called Stephen 'uncle Stephen' or even 'uncle Strange' (though Tony was tempted to have her call him that just once). He supposed it had to do with the fact that when she was a baby, he referred to everyone as her 'aunt' or 'uncle' except for Stephen. At the time, it had more to do with them not being all that close, but now he was glad she didn't. He kind of liked the wizard. More than her 'uncles' and 'aunts'.

“Hey, Princess. Did you get a chance to look at the snow today? It's been coming down since yesterday afternoon.” The two sat at the table, Tony bringing over a plate of cookies he and Rhodey made just last night. Well, okay, Rhodey made them. Tony more or less talked his best friend's ear off.

“Daddy said I can't until I eat lunch. I tried pouting and everything!” Stephen's chuckle sparked something in his chest, but he ignored it in favor of resting his hand on the back of her chair and ruffling her hair. She made an annoyed sound and glared up at him.

“It was too cold at seven this morning, and besides, now you can play with Stephen. Isn't that better than playing with your old man?” Stephen picked up a cookie and studied it with all the attention and intensity of a medical student of old. And a wizard student of new. It tickled his heart and made him smile, which he quickly smothered by kissing Morgan's head. 

“Definitely. He doesn't get as cold and tired as you do, daddy. And Stephen knows cool magic tricks! Can we go now, Stephy? Can we? Can we?” She was bouncing in her seat, cookies all but ignored in favor of watching Stephen's reactions. He glanced between them and nodded.

“How could I deny the princess? Give me a moment to get ready and then we can go out. And maybe, if you ask nicely, daddy will put on some cocoa for us so we can get warm when we come back inside.” Blue eyes flickered up to meet his, something mischievous dancing in them that had Tony wanting to smack him- and maybe kiss him too. And 'daddy' was not supposed to sound like that. Honestly, this man was going to ruin him.

“Yay!” She hopped off the chair and scurried towards her room. Hopefully to get her coat and snow boots. He was worried she might catch a cold or something, playing in the snow so much, but so far she was nothing more than tired and cranky after her playtime in the snow. And playing with Stephen always put her in a good mood.

When she appeared, wearing her sweater and carrying her puffy coat, Stephen stood from his seat and stretched. He reminded Tony of a cat after a nap in the sun, and looked just as fluffy and cuddly in the scarf and sweater he wore.

“Where's Levi?” Tony zipped her coat up, turning towards Stephen.

“I decided to come without it today. Give it a little break. Ready?” She grabbed Tony's face and pressed a kiss to his cheek before grabbing Stephen's hand (with extreme care, he noticed with a swell of pride) and tugging him towards the door. A thicker coat appeared in a blink, making Stephen look even more cuddly and warm. 

Maybe Tony could spare a moment or two.

“Am I invited, Princess?” His daughter actually rubbed her chin, as if debating whether Tony was allowed to come play with her and Stephen, and nodded with a bright smile. Before Stephen disappeared through the door, Tony's coat, scarf, and fuzzy snow hat were dropped on the table. His cheeks warmed at the gesture, though thankfully Stephen was long gone.

“Do you wanna build a snowman! Come on let's go and play!” Tony stuffed his hands in his pockets, Morgan's singing still heard through his thick hat and the wind cutting across the yard. Stephen's hands appeared (wrapped in gloves, thankfully), swirls of blue and purple spiraling down towards the snow. A snowman appeared, carrot nose and all, and naturally Morgan was beyond impressed. 

Tony kind of was too, actually. 

“You're just like Elsa! I can be Ana. And daddy can be...Sven.” Stephen snickered as he finished off the snowman with a top hat he definitely magicked into his hands, tilting his smile in Tony's direction. 

“Why do I have to be a smelly reindeer? I can't be a human?” Morgan giggled.

“Cuz you're goofy and funny just like him and you both have brown eyes!” He was being compared to an animated reindeer. This was just not a good day for Tony Stark. He crossed his arms and huffed.

“Well, is there maybe a human I could be? Sven is cool, but you and Stephen get to be humans!” She rubbed her chin. 

“You're a drama queen, daddy. Fine, you can be Honeymaren. She's Elsa's girlfriend. And my second favorite!” Tony blinked down at Morgan, utterly confused by all of her words. Firstly, who the hell was 'Honeymaren'? And secondly, Elsa had a _girlfriend_? He thought she was, like, going solo. The example for kids that you don't need romance to be happy or whatever the websites were claiming these days. 

Maybe he should sit down and watch that second Frozen movie.

“Would that make Tony _my_ girlfriend?” Morgan laughed and finished off her own little snowman, though she shook her head. Tony was close to either melting into the snow or smacking Stephen. Closer to melting judging by how hot his face was. Stephen wasn't looking at either of them, busy finishing off a second (slightly taller) snowman with a smile.

“No, silly. Daddy isn't a girl! He's your _boy_ friend.” Okay, this conversation was too much for poor Tony. He was too old to be this embarrassed by his child. This flustered by someone.

“Let's go back to Elsa Strange here. So, can you sing us a song, _princess?_ ” Okay, maybe that came out a little flirtatious, but flirting was his second language- after sarcasm. Stephen whipped around to stare at Tony, offering a smile after a few seconds. Then a shrug as he scooped a ball of snow from the ground and held it up to inspect.

“Elsa is a _queen_ , Stark. And if you insist... _Let it go. Let it go. I am one with the wind and sky. Let it go. Let it go. You'll never see me cry. Here I stand and here I'll stay. Let the storm rage on. The cold never bothered me anyway._ ” He shot Tony another one of those smirky grins, brow raised and arms crossed. He looked a little too pleased with himself. Tony swallowed.

“Any other requests?” Morgan tugged on both of them, face a concerning shade of red but eyes sparkling.

“I didn't know you were a fan of Frozen. Makes sense considering you've now been named Elsa Strange.” He scooped up Morgan, her shivers being felt through her thick coat and pants. Time to go in. Stephen wrapped his hands around Morgan's cold cheeks and smiled at her. Tony kind of wanted to be warmed up by Stephen too, now that he was thinking about it.

“Tease all you want, Stark. I like it.” 

Back inside, Morgan was wrapped in a blanket and settled by the fireplace, mug of cocoa on the table while she colored a picture. Stephen was leaned against the counter, reading glasses perched on his nose while he flipped through one of his magic books. Tony finished off his cup of cocoa with a flourish of whipped cream, earning a snort from Stephen's direction.

“Something funny, Elsa Strange?” A brow arched.

“Now that you mention it...you. You try to be this stone-cold businessman, but here you are making cocoa like an excited child and making jokes about 'Frozen'. It's all very amusing.” He accepted the mug of cocoa Tony offered him with a surprisingly warm smile. “Fatherhood has softened Iron Man. More like Teddy Bear Man.”

“Ha. Ha. And the big bad protector of our reality, the only thing standing between whatever aliens and monsters are out there singing 'Let it Go', building snowmen with magic, and playing in the snow isn't soft. Doctor Elsa Strange.” They watched each other for a moment, Stephen breaking eye contact first to look down at his mug. He laughed softly.

“I don't try to pretend I'm not a dork, Stark. Unlike someone. Everyone knows it and you still try to act like it's not true.” He was _not_... Tony may have been a nerd back in school, but he was a heartthrob, one of the richest men in recent history, and certainly not soft. He was a badass who was the playboy of the decade not long ago.

Morgan pulled on his shirt, offering her mug to him with a sleepy smile. Okay, maybe little miss Morgan was melting his iron shell some. He couldn't be ashamed of being a good father. A man who cared about others and liked dumb things. He scooped her into his arms, her head tucked under his chin and fingers grabbing his shirt tightly. Stephen made a cooing noise and booped her nose. 

Tony's breath was gone – stolen – when he glanced at Stephen and found him watching him already. He swallowed and turned back to Morgan.

“Ready for a nap, princess?” Despite looking ready to drop any second, she shook her head against his chest.

“I wanna play...with Stephie. In the snow.” He sighed and adjusted his grip, pressing a kiss to her head. Stephen looked rather surprised, but he hid it quickly and reached out to poke her side. Her giggle turned into a long yawn that she was trying to hide from him. Stephen's eye twinkled.

“Maybe we can after your nap. If it's not too cold. I don't have anything to do today. So far, anyway. You can't exactly predict when someone breaks into your dimension and wants to take it over.” He offered Stephen a silent 'thank you' and smiled down at Morgan.

“See? If you take your nap, you can play when you wake. Deal?” She pulled back and seemed to search his face – far too smart for her age – and nodded solemnly. With a wave to Stephen, who sipped his mug and waved back, Tony and Morgan disappeared further into the cabin and towards her bedroom. Naturally, it was a frosty shade of blue and there were 'Frozen' posters along the walls.

It was a Frozen paradise.

“Daddy?” He helped her into the bed and knelt down next to her. He ran a hand over her hair and couldn't hide the goopy melty mess of his heart. She was his entire world, and he couldn't ask for anyone better.

“Yes?” She sat up on her arm and reached out to run a hand through his hair. 

“Do you like Stephie?” The question surprised him, mostly because he didn't think she was ever paying either of them attention, so after a second or two of silence, he shrugged.

“Well, of course. He's my friend now.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Like he was being a silly man. In her mind, he probably was. (She did call him Sven....)

“ _No,_ I mean like Uncle Rhodey and Auntie Carol! Or Petey and MJ.” Tony was pretty sure he's never blushed so much in his entire life. He coughed and tilted his head to examine her earnest little face. She was merely curious, he could tell, trying to figure out the adult relationships around her and understand them. Still, he couldn't help feeling like he was being put in the hot seat by his own child.

Glancing at the door, he leaned closer and offered a small smile.

“What would you think if I did?” Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand. Tony chuckled and scratched at the back of his neck, a mixture of relief and anxiety spinning around in his chest. He knew Morgan adored Stephen, and he clearly felt the same about her. But it was a different thing altogether to have your daddy being with someone who wasn't a typical mommy.

Even if he was Tony Stark and nothing in their lives was ever typical.

“Will I get to be the flower girl in your wedding? Cassie said I was a baby when the last one happened.” If he was drinking anything, he would have spit it all over the place. _Wedding?!_

“Um, well, princess...Daddy isn't....we aren't...” Her hand pushed against his mouth, stopping his words easily. She stared at him with all the intensity and intelligence of someone years older than his sweet little girl.

“But don't you like him?” With a long sigh, he nodded. “And he likes you-”

“Now, Morgan.” She pouted at him.

“ _Daddy!_ ” She was such a Stark. Goodness.

“What makes you so knowledgeable about me and Stephen?” She settled back down and blinked up at him, exhaustion finally dragging at her eyelids. Now he got to go out there and face Stephen. 

“I heard Uncle Rhodey and Mister Wong talking. Uncle Rhodey said you loved a wizard and that it was annoying to him.” She giggled when he rolled his eyes and groaned. He was definitely going to kill Rhodey. He stood and kissed her cheek.

“I'm going to have to have a talk with your Uncle Rhodey. Get some sleep and you can play with Stephen again. Night.” She pressed her palm to her lips and blew him a kiss, which he caught and put in his pocket with a wink.

“It's not night, daddy. Love you.” He closed the door and leaned against it, gathering himself from the surprising conversation with Morgan. Someone so small, so young, should not be able to shake him so easily.

He startled when he entered the kitchen and found Stephen lounging on the couch by the fireplace in the living room, reading the book still and looking far too comfortable in Tony's house. He picked up his mug of cocoa and flopped onto the couch after setting his drink on the coffee table, grinning over at Stephen until he glanced away from the text and raised a brow.

If he kept doing that, it might get stuck that way.

“You okay?” Thinking back over the couple years he's known Stephen, he couldn't help but suppress a groan at how blind he's been. Of course he'd like this ridiculous wizard all this time. That was a Tony Stark thing to do, right?

At least the people he cared about most liked Stephen.

“Actually, better than I have been in a while.” They watched each other for a few seconds before Stephen nodded and summoned a steaming mug with chocolate shavings and whipped cream. Tony laughed and offered his to clink against Stephen's, warmth spreading from his heart through his whole body.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Xx


End file.
